Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to allocate the homelessness prevention grant in proportion to the level of need in each local authority.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has made to ensure that the homelessness prevention grant is being used effectively.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to safeguard the size of the homelessness prevention grant in the period up to the 2020 spending review.

Mr Marcus Jones: We have made available over £500 million to local authorities and the voluntary sector to tackle homelessness and since 2010 this has helped local authorities to prevent 935,800 households from becoming homeless.Since 2010, local councils have had more flexibility over how they spend the money they receive from central government.The allocation of Homeless Prevention Grant has developed over many years to take account of different kinds of pressures, including rough sleeping and statutory homelessness. We supported the establishment of the National Practitioner Support Service’s ‘Gold Standard’ programme to help improve the effectiveness of local authority homelessness prevention services.Decisions on funding beyond 2015/2016 will be subject to the forthcoming spending review.

Public Houses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had on the statutory pubs code, and the Government's policy on pubs, with people or bodies concerned with the pubs industry.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 05 November 2015



Since I was appointed Community Pubs Minister on 20 May 2015, I have met with senior representatives from a broad range of bodies within the pubs industry. These include the British Beer and Pub Association, the Campaign for Real Ale, Punch Taverns, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, the British Institute of Innkeeping, the Perceptions Group and the Pubs Advisory Service. I have also met with my rt Hon Friend the Member for Halesowen and Rowley Regis (James Morris), and one of his constituents, to engage with the wide range of issues affecting the pub and brewing industry.British pubs have always been at the heart of our local communities, and we are empowering people to preserve them, as well as other local landmarks and places of interest. On 11 September 2015, we took forward our Manifesto commitment by announcing the £1.5m Pub Loan Fund which will help community groups towards the cost of acquiring local pubs threatened with closure.This is in addition to local people being able to nominate any local building or land they love as an ‘asset of community value’ and then, if it comes up for sale, having 6 months to raise the funds to bid to buy it. So far more than 800 pubs have been listed.

Affordable Housing: First Time Buyers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance the Government is providing for housing associations in building more affordable homes for first-time buyers.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is committed to helping hard working families meet their aspirations to own their own homes and it is a priority to increase the provision of affordable housing available to first time buyers. We have exceeded expectations over the last five years in delivering affordable homes, with more than 260,000 delivered since April 2010.We are committed to deliver a further 275,000 new affordable homes by 2020. This is well under way with over £1bn of the 2015-18 affordable homes programme already allocated to deliver new affordable homes across the country.Shared ownership is an integral part of this programme and helps those who may be otherwise priced out of the market to get a foot on the property ladder. Between April 2010 and March 2015 we delivered 41,000 new shared ownership homes.Through shared ownership and the Government’s commitment to build 200,000 Starter Homes by 2020, we are on track to help thousands of families achieve the dream of home ownership for the first time.

Change of Use

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how the extension of office to residential permitted development rights will be set out in legislative proposals.

Brandon Lewis: The extension of the office to residential permitted development rights will be brought forward as amendments to The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Companies: Ownership

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any agreement on a central registry of beneficial ownership in the British Virgin Islands will include access for the public with legitimate reason, in line with the Fourth EU Anti Money Laundering Directive.

Mr Hugo Swire: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), gave on 16 October 2015 (PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448), which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.

NATO Enlargement

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress there has been on delivering support to NATO aspirant countries since the NATO summit in Wales in 2014.

Mr David Lidington: There is no formal list of NATO aspirant countries. However, this term is presently understood within the Alliance to refer to Georgia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia. The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s open door policy for any European country in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership, and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. We therefore support the membership aspirations of all countries currently seeking to join the Alliance.At the NATO Summit in Wales, the Alliance agreed a ‘Substantial Package’ of support for Georgia to strengthen defence capabilities and interoperability with the Alliance, and provide a new “enhanced partnership” status. Separately, Allies agreed to establish Defence Capacity Building (DCB) Missions in Georgia. The initial infrastructure for the first DCB project, the Joint Training & Evaluation Centre, was inaugurated by the NATO Secretary General at the end of August. The UK has provided a Strategic Communications Subject Matter Expert to the NATO Core Team in Georgia, while other Allies have offered similar secondments. The UK has also contributed £1,750,000 to a new Trust Fund to help facilitate these.Following the Wales Summit, NATO intensified talks with Montenegro to help them further prepare for future membership. The UK has supported Montenegro’s aim to increase public support for NATO membership and has initiated a number of Defence Engagement activities focussed upon changing public perceptions and putting Montenegro’s international credentials and capabilities into the public eye. The UK has supported a NATO Trust Fund set up to decommission surplus arms and ammunition in the country, and has provided financial and managerial support for the provision of English Language training in Montenegro, underpinning the ability to deploy officers on international operations including NATO. Foreign Ministers are due to take a decision in December on whether to invite Montenegro to open accession talks.Since January 2015, the UK has been the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Embassy organised its first outreach event in Bijelijina in June, with the new NATO Commander and a representative of the Bosnian Armed Forces on the panel. Complementing its role as Contact Point, the British Embassy continues to run its officer Selection and Training project, which provides a framework and support for the Bosnian Armed Forces to recruit and train a new cadre of officers.NATO Allies, including the UK, continue to support the conditional invitation granted to Macedonia in 2008, subject to stipulated conditions. Macedonia completed its latest Annual National Plan process in September. The UK has continued to underline to Macedonia the importance of reforms in areas such as democratic dialogue, media freedom and judicial independence in order to meet the standards expected of a future NATO Ally.

NATO Enlargement

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on extending the list of NATO aspirant countries.

Mr David Lidington: There is no formal list of NATO aspirant countries. However, this term is presently understood within the Alliance to refer to Georgia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia. The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s open door policy for any European country in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership, and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. We therefore support the membership aspirations of all countries currently seeking to join the Alliance.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his objectives are at the Joint Ministerial Council during the week of 30 November 2015 in respect of central registries of beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories.

James Duddridge: In March the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and I wrote to the Premiers of the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda asking them to set out plans and a timetable for the implementation of central registers of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective systems, by the November Joint Ministerial Council.We set out that any system should meet the following criteria:a)UK law enforcement and tax authorities must be able to access company beneficial ownership information without restriction, subject to relevant safeguards;b)These competent authorities should be able to quickly identify all companies that a particular beneficial owner has a stake in without needing to submit multiple and repeated requests; andc)Companies or their beneficial owners must not be alerted to the fact that an investigation is underway.My objective is to press the Premiers to repeat their commitments to uphold international standards of transparency to ensure the highest degree of effectiveness including on holding beneficial ownership information. I will be discussing their proposals and timetable for doing so.

Somalia: Elections

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the government of Somalia in preparations for elections in that country in 2016; and what assistance the UK has offered for those preparations.

James Duddridge: We are in regular discussions with the Federal Government of Somalia on the electoral process in 2016. The UK also co-chairs, with the Federal Government of Somalia, the elections working group set up under Somalia’s New Deal Compact, supporting preparations for the 2016 electoral process. At the UN General Assembly in September, My Right Honourable Friend the Member for Witney (David Cameron), the Prime Minister, discussed progress towards an inclusive electoral process with the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as did My Right Honourable Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) Minister of State in the Department for International Development, with Prime Minister Omar Abdullah Sharmarke. Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Somalia attended the National Consultative Forum recently convened by the Federal Government of Somalia to discuss electoral preparations. In the UN Security Council, the UK is working to ensure that Somalia remains a high priority and that there is a coordinated international position in support of the electoral process in Somalia in 2016. The UK provides funding to the UN election support programme in Somalia through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. This channels support to Somalia’s National Consultative Forum and National Independent Electoral Commission. The UK is also working in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support a nationwide civic education programme that would last for 5 years and would cover all elections in Somalia, both local and national, during that time. The UK provides funding to the UN election support programme in Somalia through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. This channels support to Somalia’s National Consultative Forum and National Independent Electoral Commission. The UK is also working in partnership with USAID to support a nationwide civic education programme that would last for 5 years and would cover all elections in Somalia, both local and national, during that time.

Burma

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Burmese government about (a) human rights and (b) conduct of the election in November 2015 in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: I have consistently raised both human rights and elections in bilateral meetings I have held with the Burmese government in 2015. I raised both issues with the Burmese authorities during my most recent visit to the country in July, and reiterated these points when I met the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. I also regularly raise these issues in public, as I did during the adjournment debate on Burma on 22 October, and in multilateral fora, such as at the UN Secretary General’s Burma Partnership Group on 29 September.

Afghanistan: Al Qaeda

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the return to Afghanistan of Al-Qaeda.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has regular discussions with his US counterpart and other allies on global security challenges, including Afghanistan. In addition, Government officials regularly discuss insurgency and terrorism in Afghanistan, including Al-Qaeda, with US and NATO partners. This includes how we can best continue to support the Afghan National Unity Government to deliver their own national security.

Companies: Ownership

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the time taken by the Cayman Islands government to respond to its consultation on a public register of beneficial ownership.

James Duddridge: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, to questions 10437, 10438 and 10448, which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.We are continuing our dialogue with the Anguilla authorities on this and have offered any technical support that might be required as they develop their proposals.

Electronic Surveillance

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many applications for warrants for electronic surveillance he rejected last year.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It is the longstanding policy of successive British governments not to comment on intelligence matters.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Iron and Steel: Redundancy

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much additional funding his Department will make available to support the retraining of steelworkers recently made redundant.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is continuing to work closely with local Task Forces in Redcar and Scunthorpe to support individuals and businesses affected by SSI’s closure and Tata’s recent announcement.In Redcar, as part of a support package worth up to £80 million, we have agreed over £40 million of support aimed at skills and jobs creation following proposals put forward by the Task Force chaired by Amanda Skelton:£3m has been made available to four Further Education colleges in the region to support re-training activity, as well as a further £2.65m skills funding to plug any gaps in skills provision not available via the Further Education Offer;£1.7m to ensure that the fifty apprentices who were with SSI can continue their apprenticeships with alternative employers;A £16.5m Jobs and Skills Fund to help local firms employ former SSI workers or their spouses in full-time or part-time jobs for a minimum of three years;£16m support for firms in the SSI supply chain and wider Tees Valley impacted by the Redcar steelworks closure, to safeguard jobs, provide the stimulus to create new posts and provide expert assistance to help them expand their business£750,000 to fund advice and grants to start up a new business.In Scunthorpe, we have announced a package, worth up to £9 million, jointly with Tata, to support Tata steelworkers, the local economy and supply chain. We are working closely with a local Task Force, chaired by Baroness Liz Redfern, to deliver this support.

New Businesses

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of how many small businesses have been started in (a) Bristol, (b) London and (c) England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: There is no single data source that comprehensively measures all business start-ups within the UK.However, ONS publishes statistics showing the number of businesses newly registered for VAT or PAYE.These figures are available from the ONS Business Demography releases.

South East Asia: Exports

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to boost exports to (a) Indonesia, (b) Vietnam, (c) Thailand, (d) Malaysia, (e) the Philippines and (f) other countries in South East Asia.

Anna Soubry: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has established a regional network to support UK trade and investment across South East Asia. This helps provide UK companies with access to the fast-growing markets of the region. The network is on target to assist nearly 10,000 businesses this year. UKTI has directly assisted in export deals with the region worth £2bn in the first six months of this financial year, putting us on track to deliver the UK’s best ever trade figures for the region. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister urged the European Union to accelerate negotiations on the EU-ASEAN FTA, a deal that is worth an additional £3 billion a year to the UK economy.Closer collaboration across the region, supported by continued investment from government, has enabled UKTI to operate ever more efficiently, working with more British businesses and securing a higher value of business wins. Six regional priority sectors have been identified- reflecting UK strengths as well as the scale of opportunities in the region – enabling a more strategic approach to trade delivery in Infrastructure, Education, Energy, Financial & Professional Services, Consumer Retail and Healthcare.Significant investment is also being made in the development of additional trade service capacity, being delivered by industry partners in the region, principally through Chambers of Commerce. This represents the government’s growing focus on the region as a global growth engine, and is indicative of the continuing importance that this government places in seeking out global opportunities to boost the UK economy.In July of this year my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister led a trade mission to Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. The mission was made up of 30 British businesses, and included the signing of trade deals worth over £750 million. Concurrently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary for State for Business, Innovation and Skills led the inaugural Northern Powerhouse delegation, comprising over 50 UK companies, to Singapore and Malaysia.During his visit to Indonesia, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the Government will make available up to £1 billion to finance infrastructure projects involving UK business, in Indonesia through its export guarantee scheme. The UK welcomes the recent commitments made by President Joko Widodo’s government on deregulation and improving the business and investment environment in Indonesia, as well as the talks between Indonesia and the EU on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will benefit both Indonesia and the UK. Richard Graham MP, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Indonesia and the Asian Economic Community (AEC) has paid two visits this year to Indonesia, pushing forward trade priorities and promoting work on second-tier cities within Indonesia.Two-way trade with Vietnam more than doubled between 2009 and 2014, reaching £2.81 billion, with the UK being amongst Vietnam’s largest trading partners within the EU. During my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s visit in July, the first by a serving British Prime Minister, Rolls Royce and Vietnam Airlines signed an agreement totalling £340 million, Prudential announced a £100 million investment and ZincOx agreed a £75 million investment for hazardous waste recycling.In the past year, over 1000 UK businesses have been helped to trade with Thailand. Notable improvements to the business environment include: British beef and lamb now being allowed to be imported into the Thai market after a 20-year hiatus, which will bring business of some £9m over the next five years; the British Embassy Bangkok, with other embassies and Chambers, encouraged the Thai authorities not to proceed with new regulations which would have directly impacted foreign ownership of over 5000 companies, many British, as well as deter further UK investment opportunities; finally the Government has encouraged the Thai authorities, with strong support from the Thai Prime Minister, to sign up to the Construction Transparency Initiative, which should improve public procurement practice for major infrastructure projects.Exports to Malaysia (the UK’s second largest export market in ASEAN) have risen by almost 25% between 2010 and 2014. Over the past four years, there have been more UK Ministerial and VIP visits to Malaysia promoting trade and investment than ever before, including two visits by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Recent successes include a £4.2bn supply and maintenance deal between Rolls Royce and Air Asia. Posts have successfully worked to tackle market access barriers, for example, helping to open up engineering and legal services in Malaysia.In the first half of this year UK exports to the Philippines grew by 44%, the third highest growth in exports to any country worldwide. Major deals include a £90m contract for the supply of electronic voting machines, a £70m deal for a British solar company and the appointment of Arup as the lead designer on the country’s second largest airport.Lord Puttnam, UK Trade and Cultural Envoy to Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam has also made two visits to the region this year, strengthening important business and governmental links and working on campaigns ranging from infrastructure to education.

Higher Education: Research

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department is providing to higher education institutions to increase the number of post-doctoral positions offered; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Government recognises the importance of sustaining a strong research community across the UK. In allocating Science and Research funding, the Government asks the Research Councils, Higher Education Funding Council for England, British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society to ensure that they are “maintaining a substantial flow of new researchers and high level skills”. Research Councils support 14,000 research staff and fellows, including 10,000 university researchers, many of whom are in early research careers. The National Academies provide over 690 early career research fellowships.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Anna Soubry: All regulations implementing EU legislation that have been introduced since 2013 and their associated impacts can be found on www.legislation.gov.uk. The impact of future regulations that implement EU legislation will also be available on this site in due course.

Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK: Redcar

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of Redcar coke ovens and blast furnace on the local economy.

Anna Soubry: The closure of SSI in Redcar will undoubtedly have a significant impact on individuals, the supply chain and local economy more broadly. That is why we have announced a support package, worth up to £80 million, to support the future of the Tees Valley economy and we are working closely with a local Task Force, chaired by Amanda Skelton, to deliver this support.In total we have agreed over £40 million of support aimed at skills and jobs creation:£3m has been made available to four Further Education colleges in the region to support re-training activity, as well as a further £2.65m skills funding to plug any gaps in skills provision not available via the Further Education Offer;£1.7m to ensure that the fifty apprentices who were with SSI can continue their apprenticeships with alternative employers;A £16.5m Jobs and Skills Fund to help local firms employ former SSI workers or their spouses in full-time or part-time jobs for a minimum of three years;£16m support for firms in the SSI supply chain and wider Tees Valley impacted by the Redcar steelworks closure, to safeguard jobs, provide the stimulus to create new posts and provide expert assistance to help them expand their business£750,000 to fund advice and grants to start up a new business.

Manufacturing Industries: Skilled Workers

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the loss of skilled manufacturing jobs to other countries in the EU.

Anna Soubry: The best way the Government can help retain skilled manufacturing jobs in the UK is by continuing to ensure a strong economy. We are cutting red tape by a further £10billion, creating three million apprenticeships and lowering corporation tax. This will create the right economic conditions to encourage the investment crucial to UK manufacturing productivity growth and jobs. The UK is the number one destination in Europe for foreign direct investment and around a third of the 2,000 new inward Foreign Direct Investment projects in 2014/15 were in the areas of advanced manufacturing and life sciences. Since the Government’s Reshore UK initiative was launched in January 2014, it has advised more than 140 companies, helping to create or safeguard 4,789 jobs so far, with over 4,000 more in the pipeline.

Department for International Development

Syria: Cholera

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had on preventing an outbreak of cholera in Syria.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK remains concerned about the possible spread of cholera from Iraq into Syria. Aid agencies inside Syria and across the region are in the process of finalising a cholera contingency plan to be implemented in the event of an outbreak and are proactively prepositioning supplies in relevant locations. The UK is monitoring the situation closely and is in regular contact with Health partners inside Syria, including the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.

Developing Countries: Social Problems

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is developing programmes to tackle the (a) interconnectivity of domestic abuse and disability and (b) interconnections between other vulnerable groups.

Mr Desmond Swayne: My Department recognises that those with disabilities may be more at risk of experiencing violence, and our work to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) takes into account issues of violence, including domestic abuse, against those with disabilities. We recognise the importance of considering disability in our programming, through for example the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women (to which we contributed £2 million in 2015, a £6 million investment over 3 years), which has this year made a grant to a project focused specifically on access to justice of girls and women with disabilities who have experienced VAWG in Zimbabwe.DFID supports a comprehensive social inclusion approach to leaving no one behind and to understanding the interconnections between other vulnerable groups including people with disabilities, older people, youth, children, marginalised girls and women, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities, indigenous people, different faith groups, refugees and internally displaced persons and migrants. Many face multiple forms of discrimination and disadvantage with women and girls with disabilities particularly at risk as they live with double discrimination. DFID's programming investments are based on an extensive poverty analysis at the country level which includes an assessment of the level of access, opportunity and influence of different geographic and social groups. DFID is currently engaging in a Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Review where country offices and partners are being asked to increase their work on ensuring we reach the most disadvantaged groups such as those experiencing multiple discrimination.

Refugees: Learning Disability

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department identifies vulnerable refugees with intellectual impairment; and what support is provided to such people.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID provides assistance to refugees through bilateral and central funding to a number of trusted organisations such as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration, the International Committee of the Red Cross. We are in dialogue with our partners to ensure special consideration is given to the most vulnerable groups, including people with physical and developmental disabilities. In September 2015, DFID issued guidance for staff outlining the specific considerations to be made by DFID partners for those living with disabilities to ensure that their needs are identified and addressed, and that they have opportunity to participate in decisions that affect them. In addition, through the Disaster & Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) for NGOs, we are supporting the development of a new tool to guide humanitarian agencies on how to ensure their programming is inclusive.

Refugees

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much support her Department makes available to refugees who have experienced trauma.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID provides assistance to refugees through bilateral and central funding to a number of trusted UN and non-governmental organisations.Many refugees experience psycho-social and psychological trauma and/or distress, and support is provided in many forms of primary and secondary health care that include training in emergency first aid for health care workers, clinical management of rape and counselling support for survivors of sexual violence, mental health care, and also assistance with shelter, legal advice and family reunification for children that have been separated from their families due to forced displacement.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on introducing a facility for rolling over funding in her Department's budget in order to avoid expenditure being concentrated at the end of financial years and to ensure that annual targets for development expenditure are met.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Department for International Development Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Chancellor on the introduction of a facility to roll-over funding.

Department for International Development: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what average time her Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Nepal: Overseas Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to remote communities in Nepal affected by the earthquakes to prepare for and cope with winter.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK’s response to the recent devastating earthquakes in Nepal now stands at £70 million, making it one of the largest bilateral donors to the humanitarian response. With the onset of winter DFID is stepping up its support, particularly for communities in high altitudes. We are providing over 200,000 people with clothes, blankets, shelter kits, cooking stoves and solar lamps; reaching an additional 60,000 people with temporary shelter; and helping over 58,000 internally displaced people currently living in makeshift camps. In addition, we are providing logistic support to help transport emergency relief overland, including with mules and porters, to the most remote areas. We are also supporting helicopter operations to reach out to remote high altitude regions.The UK support to the humanitarian response has already delivered important results including: 5,600,000 people benefitting from the restoration of healthcare services in their area; 200,000 benefitting from shelter support; and 80,000 people receiving cash transfers for restoration of houses and livelihoods.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she intends to answer the letter of the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 28 September 2015, on John Rooke.

Mr Desmond Swayne: I responded to the Rt Hon Gentleman’s letter on 6 November 2015.

Department for Education

Schools: Fires

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to local education authorities and academy trusts when they have been the victim of fire; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: Local education authorities and academy trusts are expected to take responsibility for managing the risks and issues of fire related incidents and must make appropriate arrangements to insure against fire damage and associated disruption.

Gambling: Education

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that school pupils are taught the dangers of gambling addiction; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: Schools can choose to teach about gambling in their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons. The non-statutory PSHE programme of study, published by the PSHE Association, includes teaching about gambling (including online gambling), and its psychological and financial impact. The programme of study is available online at: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/The government expects all schools to teach PSHE and made this expectation clear in the introduction to the national curriculum. It is for schools to tailor their personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) programme to reflect the needs of their pupils.

Teachers: Recruitment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the amount spent on advertising campaigns aimed at teacher recruitment in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The estimated amount spent on advertising campaigns aimed at teacher recruitment in each of the last five years is:2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Total spend£4,210,000£4,630,000£6,020,000£1,800,000£4,770,000These estimates include advertising campaign costs, such as production and purchased media space in TV, newspapers, online and social media.

Ministry of Justice

Aviation: Crime

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) maximum, (b) minimum and (c) average sentence has been for people convicted under (i) Article 137; (ii) Article 139; (iii) Article 140; (iv) Article 141 and (v) Article 142 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 to date.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been under (i) Article 137, (ii) Article 139, (iii) Article 140, (iv) Article 141 and (v) Article 142 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 since those Articles came into effect.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts (with average fine and custodial sentence, together with the highest custodial sentence) for offences under sections of the Air Navigation Order 2009 in England and Wales from 2011 to 2014 can be viewed as below:-Data for Section 137 can be viewed in Table 1Data for Section 139 can be viewed in Table 2Data for Section 140 can be viewed in Table 3Data for Section 141 can be viewed in Table 4Data for Section 142 can be viewed in Table 5.Please note the minimum sentence that can be passed is an absolute dischargeCriminal Justice Statistics for 2015 are planned for publication in spring 2016The Air Navigation Order 2009 came into effect on 1 January 2010 so the question does not apply to results for 2009. Also, a proportion of offences in 2010 would have been under the Air Navigation Order 2005, and from centrally held data we cannot separately identify whether or not offences which took place in this year were under the Air Navigation Order 2009. This information may be held in individual court files, which could only be inspected at disproportionate cost. As a result, results have been presented from 2011 onwards.Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, who take into account all the circumstances of each case and follow sentencing guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council.



magistrates’ courts stats, 2011-2014
(Excel SpreadSheet, 49.5 KB)

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

David Mundell: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Ministry of Defence

Tornado Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 10 June 2015 and 20 October 2015 to Questions 794 and 11461, when the decision was made not to commission an investigation into the reasons for the delay between ministerial endorsement of CWS and its entry into service referred to in the conclusions of the report attached to the first of those Answers; and what the reasons for that decision were.

Mr Philip Dunne: The answers to Questions 794 and 11461 relate to document D/VCDS&2ndPUS/8/1/4 PR 11 which refers to a report into improving our processes for assessing equipment safety risk, not the commissioning of an investigation into the reasons for the delay between Ministerial endorsement of CWS and its entry into service.

Astute Class Submarines: Training

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel have been trained aboard HMS (a) Astute and (b) Ambush.

Penny Mordaunt: Training onboard Royal Navy Submarines is a continual process with specific Command courses for submarine Captains and organised training for replacement Officers and Other Ranks by suitably qualified and experienced personnel.Identifying all those personnel who have undertaken any aspect of training on these vessels could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Publicity

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent on publicising the changes to the basic state pension to date.

Justin Tomlinson: The government has spent £661,493 in 2014/2015 to raise public awareness ahead of the introduction of the new State Pension on April 6, 2016. Total costs for 2015/2016 have not been finalised.

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to update guidance to Jobcentre Plus staff on claimants that report suicidal thoughts; and how such existing guidance is made available to those staff.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes seriously any declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self harm that are made by its customers. There is a clear, detailed action plan that staff must follow if a customer declares an intention to kill or harm themselves and DWP provides guidance to help its staff deal with these incidents. The policy, procedures and guidance are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives and to identify areas for improvement.DWP raises staff awareness through its own internal communication channels whenever guidance is reviewed and updated. This messaging ensures that related products such as learning and development for staff are also reviewed and updated concurrently.

Pension Credit: Carers

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were in receipt of the carer addition element of pension credit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many men in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66 and (viii) 67 are in receipt of the carer addition element of pension credit.

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66 and (viii) 67 are in receipt of the carer addition element of pension credit.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested, to answer the three questions above, is shown in the table below for February 2015, which is the latest data available.Pension Credit Claimants with a Carer's additional amount, by age and gender for Great Britain, Scotland, Glasgow City Local Authority and Glasgow East constituency - February 2015All PersonsAge of claimantGreat BritainScotlandGlasgow City LAGlasgow East ConstituencyTotal all Ages209,74022,3403,49075060----6110---623,3403607010637,51073014030648,31090015040658,12085013030668,61092016040679,09097017040MaleAge of claimantGreat BritainScotlandGlasgow City LAGlasgow East ConstituencyTotal all Ages132,54013,3301,97040060----61----622,01019040-634,7504307010645,4305408020654,8704907010665,1705208020675,4605409020FemaleAge of claimantGreat BritainScotlandGlasgow City LAGlasgow East ConstituencyTotal all Ages77,2009,0001,52035060----61----621,3301703010632,7602906020642,8803607020653,2603606020663,4404007020673,6304208020Source: DWP, 100% data.Notes:1. "-" denotes nil or negligible; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. STATE PENSION AGE: The age at which men and women reach State Pension age is gradually increasing. Under current legislation, State Pension age for women will equalise with State Pension age for men at 65 in 2018. Both men's and women's State Pension age will increase from 65 to 66 between December 2018 and October 2020. The Pensions Bill 2013-14 contains provision for a State Pension age of 67 to be reached by 2028. For more information see:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/207966/espa.pdf. 3. Parliamentary Constituency of claimant (Westminster) these constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament4. Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

Pension Credit: Carers

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of Government expenditure on the carer addition element of pension credit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the 2015-16 financial year.

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he he has made of the proportion of Government expenditure on pension credit which falls within the carer addition element of that credit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the 2015-16  financial year.

Justin Tomlinson: Forecasts of expenditure as a result of the carer addition element of Pension Credit for 2015/16 are not available. However, estimates of the outturn expenditure (as a result of the carer addition element of Pension Credit) in 2014/15 are shown in the table below.Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.Pension Credit expenditure as a result of the carer addition, 2014/15£, million…as a percentage of total pension credit expenditure in that areaGreat Britain£364.75.5%Scotland£39.66.7%Glasgow (City)£6.45.9%Glasgow East (constituency)£1.89.4%

Jobcentre Plus: Plaistow

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the outcome was of the investigation by his Department's Finance Group Internal Audit and Investigations team into allegations made in December 2013 of inappropriate use of the Flexible Support Fund at Plaistow Jobcentre.

Priti Patel: Allegations of misuse of the Flexible Support Fund at Plaistow Jobcentre were investigated fully by the Department’s investigators. Disciplinary action was taken in all cases where evidence of the misuse of the Flexible Support Fund was proven.

Jobcentre Plus: Plaistow

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions between 1 June 2013 and 31 May 2014 the officer at Plaistow Jobcentre responsible for authorising payments from the Flexible Support Fund queried the use of that fund to pay for Zone 1 to 4 travelcards.

Priti Patel: The information is not collated. To provide this information could only be done so at disproportionate cost.

Occupational Pensions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to amend the Investment Regulations for Occupational Pensions Funds to require them to set out within their Statement of Investment Principles their approach to considering environmental, social and governance risks and to stewardship.

Justin Tomlinson: Earlier this year the Government consulted on whether to amend the reference to social, environmental, or ethical considerations ,in the Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations 2005, and whether to require trustees to state their approach to the Stewardship Code. The Government plans to respond to this consultation shortly.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of universal credit who were already in work had their entitlement reduced as a result of increasing the number of hours they worked in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average reduction in entitlement to universal credit was which resulted from a claimant taking up paid work in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many self-employed people in receipt of universal credit reported earnings lower than the minimum income floor in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of universal credit had their entitlement reduced as a result of taking up paid work in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who are self-employed made a successful claim for universal credit in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of households in receipt of universal credit in the four pathfinder areas have alternative payment arrangements in place to allow for the housing costs element to be paid directly to their landlord.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average amount paid for the reimbursement of childcare costs to claimants in receipt of the childcare element of universal credit was in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of universal credit are self-employed.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average reduction in entitlement to universal credit was which resulted from a claimant who was already in work increasing the number of hours they worked in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of universal credit lost their entire entitlement as a result of (a) taking up paid work and (b) increasing the number of hours they worked in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the average hourly earnings of working people in receipt of universal credit.

Priti Patel: The information you have requested is not currently available. The Department published its strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit (UC) in September 2013. As outlined in the strategy, officials are currently quality assuring data for UC therefore it is not yet possible to give a definitive list of what statistics will be provided in the future. These statistics however will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for official statistics.The latest official experimental statistics on UC and the Departments release strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Holiday Accommodation: Safety

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings the Prime Minister has had with his European counterparts on the Green Paper on Safety and Tourism Accommodation Services COM (2014) 464.

Tracey Crouch: The DCMS is responsible for the safety of tourism accommodation. The Government responded to the Commission's Green Paper consultation on theSafety of Tourism Accommodation Services which closed on 30 November 2014. Since I was appointed Tourism Minister in May 2015, I have met ABTA to discuss accommodation safety. I also raised this issue when I met my Greek counterpart on 4 Novemberand I will also be writing to the rest of my EU counterparts to raise awareness of the issue.

Holiday Accommodation: Safety

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to revise his Department's position on the European Commission's Green Paper on safety of tourism accommodation services to take account of the recent coroner's report on the death of Christi and Bobby Shepherd.

Tracey Crouch: The deaths of Christi and Bobby Shepherd were a horrific tragedy and our deepest condolences remain with their parents. The safety of tourists at home and abroad is an absolute priority and we will continue to keep the area under review.The Government is currently examining the Coroner’s recommendations from the inquest into the children’s deaths and will respond in due course.

Home Office

Home Office: Labour Turnover

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the level of staff turnover was in (a) her Department and (b) her Department's digital team in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 28 October 2015



In the year to 30 September 2015, the level of staff turnover was (a) 3.37% in the Department and (b) 5.80% in the Department's digital team.Note: turnover figures are based on the unmanaged exits of our permanent civil servants; managed exits such as end of contracts, dismissals, and release schemes as well as machinery of government changes have been excluded.

Home Office: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what average time her Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The available statistics on the timeliness of FOI requests received by the Home Office up to the second quarter of 2015 are published on the Ministry of Justice website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Slavery: Telephone Services

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what grant her Department made available to the NSPCC for running the modern slavery human trafficking helpline between July 2014 to June 2015.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training and experience advisers who received calls to the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015 had; and what the cost to the public purse was of providing such training.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the nature of enquiries received by the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015; and how many such calls were from survivors of human trafficking.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the referrals made by the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015 were made to the police.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of calls to the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015 that were referred to that helpline by (a) the police and (b) other agencies were referred back to those agencies.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 09 November 2015



The NSPCC-run modern slavery helpline was launched in July 2014, as part of a wider awareness-raising campaign, to better support potential victims of modern slavery. For the period July 2014 to July 2015, £50,000 was made available to the NSPCC to run the modern slavery helpline. To support the launch of the helpline, training was provided by existing staff in the NSPCC child trafficking advice centre, the Metropolitan police’s human trafficking unit and the Modern Slavery Unit to NSPCC call-handlers at zero cost.The NSPCC helpline routinely records the number of contacts made each month, how they are made, and by whom. The helpline also records the gender, age and nationality of potential victims, where that information is known or presumed. Between 31 July 2014 and 31 July 2015 the NSPCC modern slavery helpline received, in total, 849 contacts. These were comprised of 491 referrals, 107 advice cases and 251 enquiries. During the period 31 July 2014 to 31 July 2015 the helpline received a total of 57 contacts from potential victims themselves and in that same period the NSPCC made 272 referrals to the police. The NSPCC does not hold data on the number of contacts referred to the helpline by the police and other agencies that were subsequently referred back to those agencies.

Passports: Applications

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of standard passport applications made in the last six months were processed within three weeks.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



Between 1 May 2015 and 31 October 2015, 96% of UK standard applications processed by Her Majesty’s Passport Office were done so within 3 weeks.

Passports: Applications

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) standard and (b) fast-track passport applications were made in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



I refer to the table below which provides the volume of (a) standard and (b) fast-track passport applications received by Her Majesty’s Passport Office in each of the last five years.Year*StandardFast Track20104,976,745184,33220114,912,102184,14720124,855,678213,08820135,056,826275,06720145,313,409401,320Notes*Standard applications exclude counter applications and collectivesIntake is cashiered intakeTime period is 1st January to 31 DecemberUK applications only

Telecommunications: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current guidance is on how data required to be retained by communications companies for investigations undertaken or authorised by the Government is to be stored.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



The retention systems of communications service providers who retain data under existing legislation are accredited by independent security experts and the security of these systems is overseen by the Information Commissioner. Current guidance on the retention of communications data by communications service providers is contained in the Retention of Communications Data Code of Practice 2015. Equivalent standards for retained data are replicated in the draft Investigatory Powers Bill and will be included in subsequent codes of practice.

Asylum: Syria

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will process as a matter of urgency the asylum applications of the 114 Syrian refugees currently being held at RAF Dhekelia in Cyprus.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



Under an existing agreement with the Republic of Cyprus, those who claim asylum will be processed by the Cypriot authorities on behalf of the Sovereign Base.

Wales Office

Devolution: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish the minutes of all the meetings held during the St David's Day process.

Stephen Crabb: I held a large number of meetings as part of the St David’s Day process. These included meetings with the parliamentary representatives of the four main political parties in Wales to identify which Silk Commission recommendations had political consensus to be taken forward. It was agreed that discussions at these meetings would remain confidential, and the Government has no plans to publish minutes.

Wales Office: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Alun Cairns: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

HM Treasury

Infrastructure: Northern Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much is expected to be allocated to Northern Ireland under the National Infrastructure pipeline in each of the next five years.

Greg Hands: The information requested can be obtained from “National Infrastructure Pipeline”, published in July 2015 and is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-pipeline-july-2015

Taxation: Self-assessment

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax returns have been filed after the deadline in each of the last five years.

Mr David Gauke: This information is not held by HM Revenue and Customs.

Mersey Gateway Project

Mr George Howarth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assistance he proposes to provide to small businesses in Halton in relation to the completion of the Mersey Gateway Project.

Mr George Howarth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects there to be an announcement on the extension of the Mersey Gateway free travel scheme to residents and businesses in Cheshire; and if he will make a statement.

Mr George Howarth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend free use of the (a) Mersey Gateway and (b) Silver Jubilee Bridge to residents and UK firms across Merseyside; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: As announced at the Summer Budget, we have asked the Department for Transport to look at extending the Mersey Gateway local discount scheme to residents of Chester West & Chester and Warrington, as well as looking at help for small businesses. This work is ongoing.

Pensions: Fraud

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the Government has spent on raising awareness of scam activity associated with pension freedoms.

Harriett Baldwin: Monitoring the market for pension scams is the responsibility of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Pensions Regulator (TPR). The Government remains in close contact with the regulators, and other organisations such as industry trade bodies, on these issues.The FCA has launched a new consumer awareness campaign around investment scams, ScamSmart. The Pensions Regulator runs the Scorpion campaign, which includes videos, action packs, leaflets and guidance, helping to raise awareness of the threats posed by scams amongst trustees, business advisers and individuals. These play a crucial role in helping to stop scams by arming consumers with the information they need to protect themselves.In addition Pension Wise specifically alerts consumers to scams in guidance sessions and through their website.

Welfare Tax Credits

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what preparatory work his Department has undertaken in advance of sending letters to tax credit recipients on changes to tax credits.

Damian Hinds: HM Revenue and Customs will be ready to notify tax credit claimants of their 2016/17 tax credit award in good time.

Bus Services: Finance

Stephen McPartland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of reductions in the level of the Bus Service Operators Grant that were made in 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Treasury has not assessed the effect of reductions in the level of the Bus Service Operator Grant on the economy.The Treasury do however recognise the important role buses play in supporting both our economy and society and as such ensured no further cut to the Bus Service Operator Grant was implemented through the 2013 Spending Round. The Government are also taking action though the upcoming Buses Bill to provide local areas with the powers they have requested to help them to deliver better local bus services.

Treasury: Senior Civil Servants

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to senior Civil Service posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Harriett Baldwin: HM Treasury have not had a separate budget for senior civil service recruitment in the last 5 years and has no record of using external agencies to recruit to senior civil service posts during this period.

Revenue and Customs: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what facilities are in place to enable staff based at the tax credit office in Preston to pay money out of their wages into the Guild Money Credit Union.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a process in place that enables serving staff to authorise a deduction of their salary, which is then paid over to third parties such as the Civil Service Benevolent Fund or HMRC’s chosen partner for Payroll Giving. As part of this process, the recipient organisation must appear on an approved list. There are no credit unions on this list and, consequently, it is not possible to make a deduction in relation to credit unions.

Equitable Life Assurance Society

Mrs Anne Main: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of eligible policyholders in (a) St Albans, (b) Hertfordshire, (c) the east of England and (d) the UK have received funds from the Equitable Life Payment Scheme; what proportion of funds owed to those people has been so received; and what steps he is taking to ensure that people are tracked down and compensated before that scheme's closure.

Harriett Baldwin: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme does not hold a breakdown of payments made on a geographical basis. TheWritten Ministerial Statement of 3rd November sets out more detail on the Scheme’s progress and the efforts made to trace eligible policyholders. A copy can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-november-2015-progress-report/equitable-life-payment-scheme-november-2015-progress-report

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the performance of the Warm Homes Discount Scheme.

Andrea Leadsom: The Warm Home Discount Scheme helps over 2 million low income and vulnerable households each year and has provided a total of £1.1bn of direct assistance since the scheme began. A detailed review of the Warm Home Discount scheme is due to be completed later this year. The report of this review will be published the New Year.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on the Global Goal on Adaption.

Andrea Leadsom: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Leeds North West on 10 November 2015 to Question 14810:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-11-04/14810/.

Electricity Generation: Costs

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what comparative assessment she has made of the cost of generating electricity from (a) conventional hydro-electric sources and (b) gas fired plants.

Andrea Leadsom: In comparing the costs of different electricity technologies in the future, DECC typically use the levelised costs of electricity generation. Levelised costs include capital and operating costs over the lifetime of a plant, as well as DECC estimates of projected fuel and carbon costs.The most recent levelised cost estimates are available in the DECC Electricity Generation Costs (December 2013) report, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269888/131217_Electricity_Generation_costs_report_December_2013_Final.pdf.These include levelised cost estimates for (a) conventional hydro-electric sources and (b) gas fired plants.We are currently undertaking a comprehensive review of our evidence on levelised costs of electricity generation.The above levelised costs however do not take into account all of the wider positive or negative impacts that a plant may impose on the electricity system. So far, DECC’s electricity modelling has considered these wider whole system impacts through a system wide cost-benefit analysis. DECC is currently undertaking a project, which aims to further systematise DECC’s understanding of the whole system impacts of electricity generation technologies.

Fracking

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals that hydraulic fracturing cannot be conducted from wells that are drilled at the surface of sensitive areas.

Andrea Leadsom: On 4 November 2015, the Government set out proposals to ensure that hydraulic fracturing cannot be conducted from wells drilled at the surface of specified protected areas.1 The proposed restrictions would be delivered through the inclusion of a licence condition in new Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDLs) and the development of a policy statement designed to inform the approval process for programmes submitted for approval under existing PEDLs.The proposals are now subject to consultation with key stakeholders, including the industry and non-governmental organisations.[1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds#surface-development-restrictions

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Assets

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the One Public Estate programme; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: In 2013, the Cabinet Office and the Local Government Association came together to launch the One Public Estate programme, a pioneering initiative designed to support central and local government to work collaboratively on land and property solutions.It brings together all public sector bodies within a locality to work together in developing a radically new approach to managing their land and property. By pooling data on their asset holdings and developing joint plans to share property and release surplus land and buildings for other uses, the programme is designed to:Deliver significant savings for the taxpayer,Provide better, more integrated local services, in places which are more convenient for users; andRelease land and property which can be reused for housing and new enterprise, boosting local jobs, growth and house-building.Two years on, the programme has already shown that, with small levels of investment and support, a great deal can be achieved. The 12 pilot areas that joined the programme in year 1 expect to cut running costs in the order of £21 million and to raise £88 million in capital receipts by 2018, as well as creating 7,500 new homes and 5,500 new jobs.An additional £6m was announced at Summer Budget to expand the programme, with larger partnerships of councils and more ambitious schemes. 126 councils, working in 29 partnerships, have applied to join a third phase of the programme.

Government Departments: Science

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the International Network for Government Science Advice on improving scientific advice within UK Departments of State based on best practice worldwide.

Matthew Hancock: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Waste Disposal: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13685, if she will make an assessment of the monetary benefits arising from implementation of the revised EU Waste Framework Directive in each of the last four years.

Rory Stewart: An assessment of the costs and benefits of the revised Waste Framework Directive in England and Wales was carried out when laying the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 which transposed the Directive. The assessment was published and is still available on the Legislation.gov webpages. This is the most up to date assessment of the impacts of the Waste Framework Directive, and contains a year-by-year breakdown of the expected costs. As waste is a devolved issue, the Devolved Administrations carried out and published their own impact assessments, which are similarly available online.The European Commission are expected to publish on December 2 proposals to amend the revised Waste Framework Directive. Once those proposals are published, we will submit another explanatory memorandum to the House, assessing the potential costs and benefits of those changes.

Department of Health

Suicide: Males

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of suicides by young men.

Alistair Burt: We know that men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide. The cross-government suicide prevention strategy, Preventing Suicide in England, identifies young men as a high risk group to prioritise suicide prevention activities.The strategy also recognises that schools, social care and the youth justice system have an important contribution to make in suicide prevention by promoting mental wellbeing and identifying underlying issues such as bullying, poor self-image and lack of self-esteem.We provide financial support for the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and work with a range of experts and partner organisations to deliver suicide prevention activities across all age groups, including young men. I will be meeting experts again shortly to advance the strategy.

Tuberculosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of TB in the UK.

Jane Ellison: The five year Collaborative Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy for England 2015-2020 was launched by the Department, in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), in January 2015. It lays out 10 key areas for actions needed to achieve a year on year decrease in TB incidence, a reduction in health inequalities and, ultimately, the elimination of TB as a public health problem in England.Since the strategy was launched PHE along with NHS England have formed a TB Strategy implementation team which has facilitated the establishment of seven TB control boards covering all of England. The TB control boards will lead local TB networks in delivering the 10 key changes outlined in the Strategy.Over the past three years there has been a year on year decline in the number of TB cases in England, from 8,086 in 2012 (a rate of 15.1 per 100,000 population), down to 6,520 in 2014 (a rate of 12.0 per 100,000 population).

Hepatitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each age group were diagnosed with hepatitis C in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England receives laboratory reports of hepatitis C cases from England and Wales and data is presented by age group in the table below.Laboratory reports of hepatitis C by age group, England and Wales, 2010 to 2014Year2010 (i)2011 (ii)2012 (iii)2013 (iv)2014 (v)Age group (years) 26412127171-410212315135-969771010-1451312132015-2446358156755955025-342,1662,6402,9573,0372,84935-442,5103,1233,3403,4073,31045-541,7912,3292,6272,7212,91855-647781,1231,2031,2931,559>=65316423503514657NK7679939994Total8,14710,38211,35311,69211,997 Across the UK, more individuals are being tested for hepatitis C and over the last 5 years particular improvements have been seen in primary care where surveillance indicates that testing has risen by 21% in England (vi).Citations(i) Health Protection Report Vol 5. No. 29 22 July 2011(ii) Health Protection Report Vol 6. No. 30 27 July 2012(iii) Health Protection Report Vol.7 No. 30 26 July 2013(iv) Health Protection Report Vol 98 No. 29 25 July 2014(v) Health Protection Report Vol 9 No. 26 24 July 2015(vi) Hepatitis C in the UK; 2015 report. Public Health England

Rotavirus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of (a) changes in the number of cases of, and deaths from rotavirus (b) the number of rotavirus vaccinations given each year and (c) the cost of delivering that programme of vaccinations on an annual basis since the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine in 2013.

Jane Ellison: The number of positive rotavirus laboratory reports each year since 2013 is shown in the table below. These data indicate that there has been a decrease of approximately 10,000 annual cases of rotavirus since the introduction of rotavirus immunisation in July 2013.Table 1: The number of positive rotavirus laboratory reports recorded annually since 2013.YearNumber of positive rotavirus laboratory reports201314,95020144,44720155,035* Source: PHE Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS) laboratory reporting databaseNote: *Figure to end October 2015.Deaths from rotavirus in the United Kingdom are rare. However precise numbers of deaths are difficult to quantify accurately as mortality is usually low and reported simply as death due to gastrointestinal disease. It was previously estimated that there may have been up to three to four rotavirus associated deaths a year in England and Wales (Jit et al., 2007). Following a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent expert committee that advises the Government on immunisation, the rotavirus vaccine was introduced in July 2013. Since then, there have been no reported rotavirus-related deaths in the eligible cohort.Immunisation against rotavirus is offered as a two dose schedule to infants at two and three months of age. The table below indicates the number of rotavirus vaccinations given by year.Table 2: Number of general practitioner (GP) registered patients who received (a) a 1st dose and (b) a 2nd dose of rotavirus vaccine between six and 24 weeks of age.YearNo. vaccinated with dose 1No. vaccinated with dose 22013* not available not available 2014531,068500,4542015 (up to September)428,591406,485Source: ImmFormNote: *Although the immunisation programme was launched in July 2013, January 2014 was the first complete month where all of 25 week old cohort would have been eligible from the programme start.In 2014/15 NHS incurred approximately £9 million delivering completed courses of rotavirus vaccination. This figure does not include the cost of the vaccine, which is procured centrally by Public Health England, and is commercially confidential.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people diagnosed with cancer in each of the last five years were diagnosed as a result of attending (a) A&E departments, (b) a GP appointment and (c) a consultant appointment.

Jane Ellison: The proportion of people diagnosed between 2006 and 2010 in England (a) as an emergency presentation was 23%, (b) from a general practitioner (GP) referral (including referrals made via the Two Week Wait (TWW) Pathway) was 54% and (c) by a consultant appointment (other outpatient or inpatient elective) was 13%.The latest published data is available for 2006 to 2010 from Public Health England’s National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), with an update to these figures taking data up to 2013 being due for publication shortly.The breakdown by year is shown in the table below:YearRouteGP - GP referrals and TWW referralsConsultant (other outpatient and inpatient elective)Emergency presentation200652%14%24%200753%13%23%200854%13%23%200955%13%22%201057%12%22%2006-201054%13%23%Source: http://www.ncin.org.uk/publications/routes_to_diagnosis.Notes: A consultant appointment is defined as the proportion diagnosed through the other outpatient and inpatient elective routes.The emergency presentation route combines all types of emergency referral – around 6 out of 10 of these are from the A&E department and 3 out of 10 are emergency referrals made by a GP. More information can be found http://www.ncin.org.uk/view?rid=2174 with more detail on the breakdown of the emergency presentation route.

Plastic Surgery: Health Hazards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to prevent contamination from breast implants supplied by Silimed of women who have such implants.

George Freeman: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published a medical device alert, which isattached, on 25 September 2015 recommending that all medical devices including breast implants manufactured by Silimed lndustria de lmplantes Ltda. should not be implanted in patients until further advice is issued.The agency is actively working with other European regulators on the testing and risk assessment of these products. The assistance of acknowledged national and international clinical and toxicology experts has been enlisted to shape and complete the health risk assessment.To ensure thoroughness, testing is being conducted as a 5-stage process. These 5 stages include collection of the required spread of samples; determining the testing methodology; undertaking the testing; analysing the results and evaluating any clinical implications.Based on the current available information there is no evidence that this issue poses a threat to patient safety. The MHRA will provide further advice following completion of the European investigation.MHRA has set up a Silimed implant webpage where patients can register to receive updates and find further information regarding their implants.As with all medical devices MHRA continue to monitor their safety and performance and encourage women to report any adverse incidents to its Yellow Card scheme at:www.yellowcard.mhra.gov.ukAny women who are concerned should speak to their doctor or surgeon.



MHRA medical device alert
(Word Document, 210.62 KB)

Pneumococcal Disease

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of (a) changes in the number of cases of, and deaths from pneumococcal disease (b) the number of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) vaccinations given each year and (c) the cost of delivering that programme of vaccinations on an annual basis since the introduction of PCV in 2006.

Jane Ellison: The total number of cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and case fatality ratios (CFR) since 2006 are shown in table 1.Table 1. Total cases of IPD and case fatality ratios (CFR).YearTotal cases1CFR2 (%)2004/056,175not available2005/066,250not available2006/075,419not available2007/085,481not available2008/095,569not available2009/105,20313.42010/115,26513.62011/124,39613.72012/134,47713.12013/144,03211.91Total cases of laboratory confirmed IPD, England and Wales (excluding cases only confirmed by DNA detection and bronchiolar alveolar lavage (BAL) samples).2Proportion of cases of IPD that were found to have died within seven days of IPD onset (excluding BAL) ascertained by tracing GP registration records. Data on CFR prior to 2009 are not available.The current PCV offered to infants helps protect against 13 of the 95 known pneumococcal serotypes. The incidence of IPD caused by these serotypes has fallen by 90% in children younger than five years since the introduction in 2005 of PCV in the childhood immunisation programme. The vast majority of IPD cases in this age group are now due to non-vaccine pneumococcal serotypes. In addition, although the vaccine is only given to infants and young children, IPD due to the vaccine serotypes has declined in older children and adults through herd protection. Consequently, there has been a 36% decrease in the number of IPD cases across all age groups between 2005/06 (6,250 IPD cases) and 2013/14 (4,032 IPD cases) in England and Wales (Table 1) because of the infant immunisation programme.Pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) was introduced in September 2006, with a catch-up campaign for children up to two years of age. The number PCV vaccinations given each year are shown in table 2.Table 2. The number of children at 12 months of age vaccinated with primary PCV, and the number of children at 24 years of age who have completed the PCV schedule, by year, in England.Financial yearNo. children 12 months vaccinated with primary PCVNo. children 24 months vaccinated with completed PCV2006/07 (Q3&4 only)24,82351,6482007/08430,518350,0492008/09570,912487,2092009/10599,786561,1062010/11618,525582,6142011/12641,645615,2032012/13651,933636,5912013/14640,971642,0232014/15617,263633,698The complete course comprises three doses of PCV vaccine: these are given at two months and four months (the primary doses), and a booster dose at 12-13 months. In 2014/15 the NHS incurred approximately £9 million delivering completed courses of PCV and Haemophilus influenzae type b / meningococcal C (Hib/MenC) vaccination. Costs in 2013/14 would have been similar. NHS England does not have details of delivery costs prior to 2013/14. This figure does not include the cost of the vaccine, which is procured centrally by PHE, and is commercially confidential.

Insulin

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has made to manufacturers on minimising increases in the price of insulin for treating type 1 diabetes.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with manufacturers of drugs for the treatment of AIDS on preventing rises in the prices of such drugs.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with manufacturers of drugs for cancer treatment on preventing rises in the prices of such drugs.

George Freeman: There have been no such representations or discussions. The prices of branded medicines are controlled by the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme or under the statutory scheme established under the Health Service Branded Medicines (Control of Prices and Supply of Information) (No.2) Regulations 2008 and the Health Service Medicines (Information Relating to Sales of Branded Medicines etc.) Regulations 2007.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of how many people prescribed drugs funded from the Cancer Drugs Fund are likely to be affected by the planned ending of funding for that fund in March 2016; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Government remains committed to the Cancer Drugs Fund and is working with NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the future arrangements for the Fund.

National Infant Feeding Steering Group

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 10790, who (a) the chair and (b) other members of the National Infant Feeding Steering Group are.

Ben Gummer: There is no fixed chair of the group. It rotates between the Department of Health, UNICEF and Public Health England (PHE).The members of the group are:Madeleine Percival – Department of HealthBridget Halnan - Institute of Health VisitorsDr Helen Duncan – PHEKate Thurland – PHEAlison Burton – PHEFrancesca Entwhistle – National Infant Feeding NetworkSue Ashmore – UNICEF UK Baby Friendly InitiativeViv Bennett – PHESue Hatton – Health Education England (HEE)Lisa Bayliss Pratt - HEEThere is also a representative on the group from the Royal College of Midwives.

Maternity Services

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS (a) standalone midwife-led units, (b) midwife-led units situated alongside consultant-led units and (c) consultant-led maternity units there are in each region of England; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: Information on the number of standalone midwife-led units, midwife-led units situated alongside consultant-led units and consultant-led maternity units in each region of England is set out in the table below:Standalone midwife-led unitsMidwife-led units situated alongside consultant-led unitsConsultant-led maternity unitsNorth West, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside41220Cumbria, North East of England and Yorkshire and the Humber8824NHS Midlands and East. 143744South East Coast and Wessex81216South181018London32225Women can expect a range of choices over place of birth. As set out in the NHS Choice Framework for 2015/16, these choices include giving birth at home with the support of a midwife, in a midwifery facility with the support of a midwife, or in any available hospital with the support of a maternity team. Choices will depend on what is best for the woman and her baby, as well as what is available locally.

Action on Smoking and Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2015 to Question 12657, if he will commission an independent review into the procedures followed by the Tobacco Control policy team within his Department when awarding section 64 grants to Action on Smoking and Health.

Jane Ellison: There is no requirement to commission an independent review as the award of Section 64 grants to Action on Smoking and Health has followed the appropriate policies and procedures applicable to all Section 64 grants.The assessment of the grant application for funding from Action on Smoking and Health is undertaken by members of the Tobacco Control policy team.The assessment process is the same for all grants awarded under Section 64 powers. The assessment process uses standard business case criteria and consists of a Strategic Case, Economic Case, Financial Case, Commercial Case and Project Governance.The assessment is reviewed by the Department’s Voluntary Sector Grants Hub to ensure that the grant proposal is affordable within Departmental budgets; relevant Efficiency Review Group Controls have been considered; the grant has been assessed as delivering value for money and the grant is considered to be appropriate for the Grant funding route rather than procurement.

Suicide: Males

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of suicides by men aged 18 to 45.

Alistair Burt: We know that men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. The highest United Kingdom suicide rate in 2013 by broad age group was among men aged 45 to 59. We also know that suicide is the leading cause of death in England and Wales for men aged between 20 and 34 years of age.In September 2012, the Department launched ‘Preventing Suicide in England: a cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives’. This strategy aims to reduce the suicide rate and improve support for those affected by suicide and was informed by an earlier consultation on preventing suicide in England. The strategy outlines six areas for action including, reducing the risk of suicide in key high-risk groups, including men aged under 50, reducing access to the means of suicide and supporting research, data collection and monitoring.We provide financial support for the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and work with a range of experts and partner organisations to deliver suicide prevention activities across all age groups. I will be meeting experts again shortly to advance the strategy.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to publish its low-risk drinking guidelines.

Jane Ellison: The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is overseeing a United Kingdom-wide review of all alcohol guidelines so that people can make informed choices about their drinking at all stages of their lives.The Guidelines Development Group, a group of independent experts, was tasked with developing the lower-risk drinking guidelines for the UK CMOs to consider. The group have researched and developed a proposal on the guidelines. We will be consulting on these shortly.

Maternity Services: Expenditure

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has spent on maternity services in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of total NHS expenditure spending on maternity services represented in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Gummer: Not all of the information requested is collected centrally. Data for primary care trusts (PCTs) secondary healthcare commissioning spend on maternity services for the years 2005/06 to 2012/13 is shown in the tables below. Maternity services may also be commissioned in primary care environments. However, it is not possible to separately identify the amount of primary care expenditure on maternity services from the statutory accounting data collected by the Department.Table 1: 2005/06 to 2007/08. NHS expenditure figures on a pre-Clear Line of Sight resource budgeting basis.YearMaternity services commissioned by PCTs 2005/06 to 2012/13 ( £ billion)Spend on maternity services as % of NHS revenue expenditure2005/061.672.25%2006/071.622.06%2007/081.792.07%Source: NHS (England) Summarised Account (2005/06 to 2010/11)Table 2: 2008/09 to 2012/13. NHS expenditure figures on an aligned basis following the HM Treasury’s Clear Line of Sight programme.YearMaternity services commissioned by PCTs 2005/06 to 2012/13 ( £ billion)Spend on maternity services as % of NHS revenue expenditure2008/091.972.25%2009/102.412.55%2010/112.532.60%2011/122.622.61%2012/132.582.52%Source: NHS (England) Summarised Account (2005/06 to 2010/11) and the Department of Health Annual Report and Accounts (2011/12 and 2012/13).Notes:Commissioning expenditure on maternity services relates to the payments made by commissioners to providers for delivery of maternity services.The Clear Line of Sight HM Treasury alignment project simplified financial reporting to Parliament by ensuring improved consistency between accounts and HM Treasury budgeting rules.Following the abolition of PCTs and strategic health authorities at 31 March 2013, NHS England became responsible for the commissioning of healthcare in England via the network of individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The Department does not collect data on maternity services spend by CCGs.NHS England has published expenditure on ‘maternity and reproductive health’ services commissioned by CCGs for 2013/14, which was estimated to be £2.8 billion (4% of total CCG expenditure). CCG spend represents a proportion of overall NHS expenditure on maternity services. NHS England also commissions some services that were previously included within PCT estimates, such as antenatal screening services. NHS England is currently reviewing the data on direct commissioning expenditure and plans to publish this when finalised.

NHS: Trade Unions

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NHS trusts and NHS employers on proposals to allow Ministers to cap union facility time contained in the Trade Union Bill.

Ben Gummer: There are no current proposals to cap trade union facility time although the Trade Union Bill includes a reserve power to do so if it is deemed appropriate. Ministers have not held any discussions with National Health Service trusts and NHS employers about this.

NHS: Trade Unions

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals to allow Ministers to cap union facility time contained in the Trade Union Bill on (a) staff morale, (b) productivity and (c) patient safety in the NHS.

Ben Gummer: There are no current proposals to cap tradeunion facility time although the Trade UnionBill includes a reservepower to do so if it is deemed appropriate.The Department has not assessed the effect on staff morale, productivity and patient safety should this power be implemented and has no evidence that they would be affected.

NHS: Trade Unions

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to NHS trusts of nursing staff turnover as a result of proposals to cap union facility time in the Trade Union Bill.

Ben Gummer: There are no current proposals to cap tradeunion facility time although the Trade UnionBill includes a reservepower to do so if it is deemed appropriate.The Department has not estimated the cost to National Health Service trusts of nursing staff turnover should the power to do so be implemented and has no evidence that it would be affected.

NHS Trusts: Temporary Employment

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department gives to NHS trusts on hiring temporary doctors and nurses.

Ben Gummer: The Department has not issued specific guidance to National Health Service trusts on hiring temporary doctors and nurses. It has, however, commissioned NHS Employers to offer advice, guidance and good practice. The NHS Employers’ guides on sourcing temporary staffing can be found athttp://www.nhsemployers.org/search-results?q=sourcing+temporary+staffing+exterrnallyThe Department also encourages NHS trusts requiring temporary staff to use the Crown Commercial Services’ Framework agreements wherever possible. Agencies on these Framework agreements are required to support trusts improve their commissioning of temporary staffing.

Patients: Transport

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to hospital trusts on the account they should take of the availability of transport links when making decisions on reconfiguring services across two sites; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local NHS.NHS England has issued guidance on Planning and Delivering Service Change for Patients. As part of this guidance, NHS England specifies that: ‘Based on evidence and national clinical reference groups’ advice, commissioners need to determine the appropriate range of providers and interplay of key access requirements such as travel time.’All commissioners proposing reconfiguration must include an analysis of travelling times and distances in their Pre-Consultation Business Case. As part of the Best Practice Check guidelines issued by NHS England, commissioners are asked: ‘Has the travel impact of proposed change been modelled for all key populations including analysis of available transport options, public transport schedules and availability/ affordability of car parking?’ and asked to provide evidence of this through a travel impact assessment.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he Department has made of the effect of the availability of different cancer drugs being available in Scotland and Wales to those in England on the treatment of cancer in England.

George Freeman: No such assessment has been made.It is for the Scottish and Welsh Governments to decide which cancer drugs should be made routinely available in Scotland and Wales.In England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is the independent body which makes decisions on the clinical and cost effectiveness of drugs, including cancer drugs, and other health technologies based on thorough assessment of the best available evidence.The Cancer Drugs Fund has helped over 72,000 cancer patients in England, to access life-extending drugs that would not otherwise have been available to them.

Health Professions

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the shortage of doctors and nurses in the NHS.

Ben Gummer: The latest monthly workforce statistics for July 2015 which are published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that since May 2010 there are 10,500 more doctors and 5,800 more nurses, midwives and health visiting staff currently employed in the National Health Service in England. This represents increases of 11% and 1.9% respectively.The Department has set up Health Education England (HEE) to deliver a better health and healthcare workforce for England. They are responsible for ensuring a secure workforce supply that reflects the needs of local service users, providers and commissioners of healthcare.HEE has increased adult nurse training places by 14% over the last two years and is forecasting that more than 23,000 additional nurses will be in place by 2019.The Government has maintained the number of undergraduate medical training places at a level sufficient to support continued increase in the medical workforce in England.Where there are shortages in specific specialties, the Department will work with HEE and NHS England to address them for example, through the ten point plan for the general practice workforce.

Health Professions: Temporary Employment

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of increased use of temporary doctors and nurses on the (a) quality of the healthcare provision and (b) cost of that provision.

Ben Gummer: No formal assessment has been made by the Department on the specific effect of increases in the use of temporary doctors and nurses on the quality of healthcare provision. The Care Quality Commission is responsible for the quality of healthcare services provided overall.No formal assessment has been made by the Department on the net effect of increases in the use of temporary doctors and nurses on the costs of providing services.

Doctors

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the density of physicians was in (a) 1985-86, (b) 1995-96, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2014-15.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the density of dentistry personnel was in (a) 1985-86, (b) 1995-96, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2014-15.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the density of nursing and midwifery personnel was in (a) 1985-86, (b) 1995-96, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2014-15.

Ben Gummer: The information is shown in the following table:All figures as at 30 September in each year, except for Dentistry - see note (3) below.Numbers of Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors 1985-2014Head Count1985199520052014Physicians45,91155,59087,043109,689Dentistry14,33415,95121,11123,947Nurses, midwives and health visitors271,382277,180344,677353,359Source:Health and Social Care Information CentreNotes:Physicians refers to doctors in Hospital and Community Health Services. New headcount methodology from 2010 onwards means this data is not fully comparable with previous years.Dentistry: for (a) 1985-86 and (b) 1995-96 data for dentists on NHS lists at 30 September 1985 and 30 September 1995For 2005-06, data are for dentists on primary care trust lists at 31 March 2006. These dentists may not have carried out NHS work in these yearsData for 2014-15 are not directly comparable with these earlier years as data are now collected for dentists who have recorded NHS activity in the relevant financial year. So 2014-15 data are for dentists who recorded NHS activity 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015Nurses, midwives and health visitors: Figures for 1985 may include Bank Nurses as it has not been possible to specifically exclude themIn 2011 the bank staff return was ceased, so the 1995 figure has been adjusted to exclude bank staff, to provide increased compatibility with later yearsThe figure for 1985 is not directly comparable with later years as it is based upon pay scale information rather than NHS Occupation Codes which were introduced in 1995Only headcount figures are available for the number of doctors in 1985, therefore figures have been provided in headcount throughout for consistency.

Health Professions: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an estimate of the number of additional (a) doctors and (b) nurses that will be needed to accommodate the predicted population rise over the next 25 years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) was established and has been mandated by the Government to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service. As one of the arm’s length bodies to help improve the quality of care delivered to patients, it ensures that the future workforce is available in the right numbers with the right skills, values and competencies to meet patient needs today and tomorrow.HEE operate a comprehensive planning process to ensure their investments meet the future needs of the population. The period they consider is dependent on the ‘lead in’ time for training. They do not extend these forecasts to a 25 year time horizon. However, HEE has published itsStrategic Framework (‘Framework 15’) focussing on the needs of future patients and the kind of workforce that will be required. This is available at:https://hee.nhs.uk/2014/06/03/framework-15-health-education-england-strategic-framework-2014-29/

Liver Diseases: Transplant Surgery

Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to make access to liver transplantation services more equitable.

Jane Ellison: Livers are retrieved and allocated on a zonal basis and the decision whether or not to list a patient for transplantation is taken by a multi-disciplinary team at the transplant centre, of which there are seven in the United Kingdom.Patients meeting the agreed clinical criteria, and with their consent, will be added to the National Transplant List. All centres must follow a common listing policy to ensure equity of access and that organs are allocated in the most clinically effective way, resulting in 842 liver transplants between 1 April 2014 - 31 March 2015.NHS Blood and Transplant, the organ donation organisation for the UK, launched their strategy in July 2013 – Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020, that sets the agenda for increasing organ donation and transplantation rates by increasing consent rates. Encouragingly organ donation rates have increased by around 60% and transplant rates by some 47% since 2008 mainly through a strengthening of the donation infrastructure including increased specialist nurses and improved retrieval arrangements.